Hot Wheels

These food trucks deliver the goods, drawing thousands to parking lots all over Orlando.

By By Joseph Hayes

Photo By Norma Lopez Molina

There are almost too many food trucks roaming the streets of Orlando to list, but here are some of the best. These mobile kitchens serve everything from fried Twinkies to foie gras, bringing literally thousands of people to parking-lot gatherings. Their moveable feasts change daily, so check each truck’s Facebook and Twitter pages for updates. Trucks are often cash only, with most items under $10, but some accept credit cards. Arrive at their stops early, and bring a chair!

Road Hog

When Big Wheel rolls, bacon hits the road.

Tony Adams, the 29-year-old owner and chef of the Big Wheel food truck, has a tattoo in Latin on the inside of his left elbow. “To the stars on the wings of pigs,” he translates. “It’s a John Steinbeck quote. I figure for someone who makes his living making bacon, it’s not a bad motto.”

Adams (right) trained as a butcher and chef in New England and apprenticed at some of the finest restaurants in New York and Britain. His company, Big Wheel Provisions, is an umbrella for many enterprises: ready-to-eat gourmet food, private catering, hand-cut meats, sausage and cured bacon. And Big Wheel was the first “fine-dining” food truck in Orlando, hitting the road in March.

The orange and cream-colored truck has just enough room for a stove, flat-top grill and fridge. Adams works the crowd as he leans out the window, laughing, suggesting food, flirting while handing enthusiastic diners his creations as chef de cuisine Tim Lovero cooks up Greek octopus skewers, house-made sweet fennel sausage sandwiches and fries cooked in fat from Adams’ own bacon.

Between truck events and catering, his days can run from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” And he loves it as much as his rabid fans.